Category Archives: Hall of Fame

There’s no debating that Dominik Hasek was one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, and it’s no question he was the greatest Buffalo Sabres netminder of all time.

With six Vezina Trophoies, two Hart Trophies, and two Lester B. Pearson Awards (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award) to his name during his nine years with the Sabres, there was also no doubt that one day his legendary No. 39 would hang from the rafters of Buffalo’s home arena. On Tuesday, the Sabres did just that, retiring his jersey. You can check out the banner raising below: Read more

Dominik Hasek was an innovator, a hero, and one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. Tonight, the Buffalo Sabres will retire his jersey in honor of his incredible career.

With the most unique goaltending style in the history of the game, Hasek dazzled fans well into his 40s. From the snow angel saves to rolling pad-stacking stops that left your jaw on the floor, Hasek could do it all. One of the most exciting players of the past two decades, these are the top 10 stops of Hasek’s career. Read more

Already members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Scott Niedermayer and Dominik Hasek will enter the IIHF Hall of Fame as part of a seven-member class of 2015.

Other inductees include longtime Czech captain Robert Reichel, Sweden’s Maria Rooth, Fran Rider in the builder category, and Lucio Topatigh, an Italian national rewarded for his play for a non-top hockey nation. Read more

In their first game back on home ice since the death of Jean Beliveau, the day before what will be an emotional farewell, the Montreal Canadiens listed their official attendance at 21,286, one fewer than a sellout. That was to account for the fact that Seat No. 1 in Row EE, Section 102 was empty.

Some will argue that Jean Beliveau was there all right, but you get the idea. The Canadiens deliberately halted a string of 11 consecutive years of sellouts to honor the memory of one of the greatest players the franchise has ever produced. Read more

There’s been a lot of talk about legacy lately with Daniel Alfredsson signing a one-day deal to retire as an Ottawa Senator, and Martin Brodeur joining the St. Louis Blues after serving as the face of the New Jersey Devils for two decades.

It’s odd to see Brodeur with the Bluenote on his jersey and mask, and it was strange to see Daniel Alfredsson skating for the Detroit Red Wings last season.

But as hurt as some fans were by the Brodeur and Alfredsson defections, the history books will still remember them for what they accomplished with the franchises they came to represent.

We saw that already in Alfredsson’s retirement ceremony in Ottawa on Thursday, and we’ll see it again with Brodeur when he hangs up his pads.Read more

Don’t you love it when a perfect comparison delivers itself to you on a plate?

Credit to a Reddit user named ‘Nuppa Nuppa’ for pointing this out. Alex Ovechkin played his 702nd career game this past Saturday in Toronto. In doing so, he equalled Pavel Bure’s total. So arguably the two greatest pure goal scorers of the last 25 years sat at precisely the same sample size before Ovie reached 703 games Tuesday. Lo and behold, they were just three goals apart.

If you need evidence to illustrate the vagaries of NHL goaltending, look no further than Roberto Luongo, the guest editor of the Oct. 20 edition of The Hockey News. One minute you’re on top of the world, winning Olympic gold medals and being talked about as a Vezina Trophy candidate. Not long after, you’re fishing pucks out of the back of the net and making self-deprecating jokes on Twitter.

Let’s start with the following premise: There is no position wracked with more instability and less sustained excellence than that of goaltender. In terms of consistent performance these days, there’s Henrik Lundqvist and then everybody else. It seems that from one season to the next, teams have no idea what kind of goaltending they’re going to get. Where have you gone, six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek? A goaltending fraternity turns its lonely eyes to you. Read more

The much-maligned one made his mark on history Monday night when he stopped 27 shots in the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins. In doing so, Fleury became the 31st goaltender in NHL history to record 300 career wins. Fleury accomplished the feat in his 547th career game, which makes him the third fastest to 300 in NHL history behind Jacques Plante and Andy Moog – yeah, Andy Moog. And at 29 years and 361 days, he’s also the third youngest in NHL history to reach the benchmark, behind Martin Brodeur and Terry Sawchuk. Read more